Jim%20Piascik Archive

An often repeated phrase surrounding Cleveland baseball over the past two decades regards how poor the organization has fared in the draft. But exactly how bad has Cleveland been? And how do they stack up against the rest of baseball? With this new series, Jim Piascik sets out to answer that question, starting with the 2004 draft. Join Jim as he breaks down Cleveland’s choices, how they stack up to the rest of Major League Baseball, and much more.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Lake County Captains. After focusing on the Captains' pitchers last week, join Jim Piascik as this week he focuses on their hitters, including Eric Haase, Nellie Rodriguez, and Clint Frazier.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Lake County Captains. This week Jim Piascik focuses on the Captains' pitchers, including their strong trio of starting pitchers in Mitch Brown, Adam Plutko, and Luis Lugo. Join Jim as he recaps the 2014 Captains pitchers and takes you into The WAR Room.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons coming to an end, today we start bringing you seasons in review, starting with the 2014 Carolina Mudcats. This week Jim Piascik focuses on the Mudcats' hitters, including Jeremy Lucas' solid season. Join Jim as he recaps the 2014 Mudcats pitchers and takes you into The WAR Room.

The Lake County Captains continued to slide in the Midwest League finals Thursday, falling 6-0 to the Kane County Cougars in Game #2. The loss leaves the Captains down 2-0 in the series and has them facing elimination when the action picks back up Saturday at Classic Park. Thursday's loss was an all-around effort, with rough performances across the board. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps it all and takes you Around the Farm.

The Midwest League finals started Wednesday night, with the Lake County Captains losing for the first time in the playoffs. Despite dropping Game #1 4-3 to the Kane County Cougars, there were still a few performances that stand out. One came from Bradley Zimmer, who is doing his best to show the organization he is ready to move quickly through the system. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps Zimmer's night and the rest of the action in the series opener as he takes you Around the Farm.

In today's Coach's Corner, Jim Piascik brings you his recent Q&A with Double-A Akron RubberDucks manager Dave Wallace. In their talk, they discussed the atmosphere in Akron down the stretch, Wallace's assignment to the Arizona Fall League, which players stood out to him in 2014, and, of course, Francisco Lindor.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons coming to an end, today we start bringing you seasons in review, starting with the 2014 Carolina Mudcats. This week Jim Piascik focuses on the Mudcats' pitchers, including Ryan Merritt's banner season. Join Jim as he recaps the 2014 Mudcats pitchers and takes you into The WAR Room.

The Akron RubberDucks and Columbus Clippers reversed fortunes Thursday, with both teams ending the night with their series tied 1-1 after a RubberDucks win and a Clippers loss. The Lake County Captains stayed consistent, however, winning their second game in a row to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps all of the playoff action, including Nellie Rodriguez powering the Captains to victory, as he takes you Around the Farm.

The playoffs started Wednesday night for the Columbus Clippers, Akron RubberDucks, and Lake County Captains, with two of the three teams ending the night with a win. Though it was obviously more than a one-person effort, the Clippers and Captains used big nights from an outfielder to find victory (James Ramsey and Clint Frazier, respectively), while Duke von Schamann did his best for the RubberDucks in a loss. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps all of the playoff action and takes you Around the Farm.

Though there have been ups and downs this season, Cleveland's 70-65 record has them on the fringes of playoff contention and in the thick of things as the calendar turns to September. Despite some definite disappointments, there are still plenty of bright spots on the team this season. Join Jim Piascik as he once again ranks the major league roster as Cleveland heads into the stretch run.

Though there have been ups and downs this season, Cleveland's 70-64 record has them on the fringes of playoff contention and in the thick of things as the calendar turns to September. Despite some definite disappointments, there are still plenty of bright spots on the team this season. Join Jim Piascik as he once again ranks the major league roster as Cleveland heads into the stretch run.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the pitchers last week, today we focus on the hitters, including a look at four Columbus hitters who could be September callups. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Jesus Aguilar, Giovanny Urshela, Francisco Lindor, and Carlos Moncrief in addition to the rest of the organization as he takes you into The WAR Room.

Thursday night in the Cleveland organization was highlighted by the old and the new. At this point, Nellie Rodriguez putting up big numbers in Lake County has become old news, as the first baseman has spent most of 2014 doing just that. Casey Shane shutting down the New York-Penn League is new, however, as the 2013 sixth round pick was only recently called up from the Arizona League. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps all of the action in the organization as he takes you Around the Farm.

The playoffs may pass the major league club by this season, but playoff fever is in full effect on the minor league side, with the Lake County Captains clinching a spot in the postseason. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps the night, including Claudio Bautista's large role in the Captains' clincher, Francisco Mejia putting up a big night with the Scrappers, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the hitters last week, today we focus on the pitchers, including right-hander Shaun Marcum. Join Jim Piascik as he analyzes what Marcum's performance in Columbus tells us about his progress in Columbus and so much more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

Clint Frazier and Carlos Moncrief highlighted the night for the organization on Thursday, but the pair are pretty different when it comes to their developmental status. As a young outfielder in Low-A, Frazier's performance on-the-field matters less than Moncrief's, who is an older player in Triple-A. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down what that means in addition to recapping the rest of the action from throughout the minor leagues as he takes you Around the Farm.

Now. We always want things now. Better sooner than later. Yet, when it comes to prospects, it is often about the long game. D'vone McClure's stock has fallen after two subpar seasons in Arizona, yet the outfielder is still only 20 years old. Dace Kime may be a bit older than McClure, but the 22-year-old is only in his first full professional season. These players are not supposed to be finished products, and looking between the lines, there are positive signs for both. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps McClure and Kime's performances and the rest of the action from throughout the organization as he takes you Around the Farm.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the pitchers last week, today we focus on the hitters, including James Ramsey's red-hot debut in Columbus. Join Jim Piascik as he brings you an abbreviated version of The WAR Room, with all of the advanced stats of Cleveland's minor leaguers you could want.

It is amazing how quickly things can change in baseball. In the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline, it was Zach Walters destroying opposing pitching while James Ramsey struggled. Well, another week made a huge difference, as now Ramsey is destroying opposing pitching too, just like he did Thursday night. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Ramsey's debut to date, Anderson Polanco's encouraging results in Lake County, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!